Westport to reconsider school uses

The school district is looking for volunteers to serve on a school building usage committee.

Jeffrey D. Wagner, Correspondent

WESTPORT — The school district is looking for volunteers to serve on a school building usage committee.

The committee will determine if any of the four school buildings should be abandoned or renovated, or if its use should change, school officials said at their June 25 meeting.

School Committee Chairwoman Michelle Duarte indicated that the age of the buildings and septic systems will also be studied, and will likely factor into the decision-making process.

Duarte said if many volunteers apply, the committee can always break up into subcommittees. She said West Bridgewater formed such a large committee that it included voting and non-voting members. Westport could follow that model if some people would rather work behind the scenes on research and information-gathering.

According to a statement by Superintendent Ann Marie Dargon, the committee will meet for the first time later this summer and “then a schedule of future meetings will be planned, depending on the committee’s availability.”

“We are hoping to have a diverse group who will represent the town of Westport,” Dargon said.

The school district has mostly older buildings — Westport High School, Westport Middle School, Westport Elementary School and the Macomber Primary School.

In recent years, the middle school has been plagued by contamination of polychlorinated biphenyls. The town has spent more than $3 million on monitoring and cleanup. The district has considered abandoning the building. However, recent tests indicate that all areas tested are now well below the Environmental Protection Agency limits.

Those interested in serving on the committee may email WCS@westportschools.org.